On Tuesday, March 6, Verizon Wireless announced a new version of its wireless broadband service designed for rural and remote homes. As National Broadband Services is a constant issue. The service, called HomeFusion, could be a viable competitor for satellite broadband providers, and could also appeal to households where DSL is the only fixed-line option.

HomeFusion’s service starts at $60 per month for 10 GB of data, enough for about 10 hours of HD video. It will first be deployed in the Dallas, Nashville, and Birmingham areas, and Verizon’s goal is to provide the service everywhere it has coverage, via its new LTE wireless network, by the end of this year. Many smaller companies offer wireless broadband for home use, but none cover such a large area.

Verizon says HomeFusion’s transfer speeds are 5-12 mbps for downloads and 2-5 mbps for uploads, but LTE network users have reported download speeds of up to 70 mbps, about 10 times the download speed of Verizon’s DSL service. With DSL, however, the amount of data is unlimited. The 10 GB plan would limit streaming video to a few hours per month. Verizon will also offer step-up plans at rates of $90 per month for 20 GB and $120 per month for 30 GB.

Getting ready to attend CES on the Hill which takes place on May 10, 2011 from 6-8 pm and will bring the hot products seen at this year’s International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) to Capitol Hill. Guests will mingle with executives from the CE Industry and get a first hand look at some of the cool technologies that are entering the consumer market.

Exhibitors will include:
American Automation & Communications Inc.
Audiovox Corp.
Best Buy
Distracted Driving Safety Alliance
Dolby Laboratories
Ford Motor Company
Global Security Systems, LLC
Google Inc
HD Radio / iBiquity Digital Corporation
HTC
Kodak
Mario Armstrong’s Digital Spin (SiriusXM)
Microsoft
Mobileye, Inc.
Motorola Mobility
NAVTEQ
Panasonic
Qualcomm
RCA Portable TV
Research In Motion
Samsung Electronics of America
Sony Electronics Inc.
Syncbak, Inc.
Verizon

Chopra also stated that productivity will increase if high-speed broadband was used in many sectors which are not yet exposed to broadband. The use of high-speed broadband in maintaining digital health records has made it easier for the doctors to communicate through protected networks. He also commented that there are obstacles for certain sectors to use broadband but the government is trying to change the laws.

Thomas C. Power, National Telecommunications and Information Administration Chief of Staff mentioned the various opportunities that lay with the broadband technology. Later he also offered the general view of the National Broadband Map that has been released recently. Since its launch, different providers have come up to include their networks in it.

The Managing Director of Stifel Nicolaus & Co., Rebecca Arbogast presented a non government view and commented that the plan was ambitious and at the same time it respected the private sector as well as the existing investment which made the investors happy and contented. She also said that the economy will gain the most value in the applications where broadband is used.

Senior Vice President External Affairs & Public Policy Counsel at Comcast, Joseph Waz said that the aim of this plan is not only to enhance the speed of the network but also to use broadband in different applications and told that cost is no more a hindering factor for adopting new things.

The Georgetown University and the Columbia Institute’s Tele-Information department organized a meeting amongst the experts from the industry and the government to discuss the topic of digital divide resulting from the implementation of the federal government’s National Broadband Plan the details of which can be found on nationalbroadbandplan.org. Blair Levin, ex Executive Director, FCC’s Omnibus Broadband Initiative stated that the National Broadband Plan was a collection of ideas and not a blueprint. He said that when the plan is actually implemented it would undergo changes based on the requirements of the day.

He quoted that success in business does not depend solely on high broadband speed but nevertheless it was an important aspect which would prevent failure. The broadband speed must be proportional to the activity it is meant for. Levin cited the example of iPhone that has achieved immense popularity in spite of its slow yet widely-accessible network featuring the 3G. He also praised the government’s decision to embrace new applications and not just concentrate on speed and network expansion.

The Chief Technology Officer of the U.S, Mr. Aneesh Chopra agreed with Mr. Levin and reinforced the fact that broadband can be utilised for various causes related to education, energy savings and public safety.

March 30th, 2011 at Howard University Google presents:

Digital Empowerment: African Americans, Small Business and the Internet

How can you use the Internet to promote your small business? What tools can you use to increase your online sales? Join us to learn about free Google tools that can help African American entrepreneurs grow their businesses online. Topics will include:

• Online Advertising
• Social Media
• Cloud Computing
• And many more!

Where: Howard University School of Business Auditorium
Where: 2600 Sixth Street NW, Washington, DC 20059
When: March 30, 2011 3:00 PM

RSVP: Please RSVP Here

Moderator:
Ralph B. Everett, Esq-President and CEO of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies

Panelists:
Angela Benton, CEO and Founder, Black Web 2.0
Bryndan (Be) Moore, CEO and Founder of Alumni Roundup
Chris Genteel, Business Development Manager for Google’s Global Diversity team
Marcus Evans, Owner, Military Brat Movers, Howard University MBA Student
Bridget Bean, District Director of the Washington Metropolitan District Office for the U.S. Small Business Administration
If you have any questions, please email: googlehowardevent@google.com

The National Broadband Plan and the

Underserved – One Year Later

Date: Mar 2 2011 – 9:00am – 11:00am

Location: 

National Press Club, 529 14th St. NW Holeman Lounge, Washington, DC, 20045, United States

The National Broadband Plan and the Underserved – One Year Later

As the first anniversary of the Federal Communication Commission’s National Broadband Plan approaches, 33 percent of Americans still do not have broadband access. While broadband is an indispensable component of President Obama’s innovation agenda, individuals who have not adopted broadband will be left out. In his State of the Union Address, President Obama set his expectation for ensuring that 98 percent of Americans would have access to wireless broadband. The National Broadband Plan is the U.S. government’s first genuine articulation of broadband deployment best practices that will extend economic development and greater opportunities for democratic participation in every community. One year later, we ask whether these goals are being accomplished. Please join us as National Broadband Plan architect, Blair Levin, shares the progress of these efforts.

There are many new programs sparked by the National Broadband Plan. How the program works is the telephone companies receive a subsidy payment from Lifeline. There is a main focus on urban residents. But, there is a High Cost Fund that takes care of people who live more in the country. With three levels a person could qualify for, a person averages around ten dollars a month.

A program called Link-Up is a partner with Lifeline. They will provide no more than thirty dollars to install a telephone line with a possibility to receive up to two hundred dollars to cover the cost.  In 2010, it was estimated that over one billion dollars was paid in these two programs.

So, The National Broadband Plan is trying to get this added to the telephone service help. But, basic broadband has to match with the telephone company, the area the person, lives in, and so many other factors. Just low end, could be worse than dial up.

The average broadband ranges around fifty dollars a month just for basic and ten dollars won’t even touch anything for either the telephone service or broadband together. The FCC will not raise the money so low income people are still not going to receive much help at all. If the people can’t even afford a cell phone, they are going to have to choose between the phone or broadband which the bill won’t even get paid as low income people can’t afford it.

Individuals also do not have computer training so would not know how to use a computer. Most low income areas do not even give families and individual choices on what they can and can’t have either. If it was more of a middle class or higher neighborhood for example, those people receive more choices and better quality. Everyone should be treated fairly whether a person could afford it or not.

There is an eRate Program that the schools use. If this was taken a further step for homes with school age children, then parents can learn how to teach their children to do their homework and even teach themselves, which will also stimulate the work force through learning.

By building a community based network where the individuals, communities, and along with Lifeline and Link-Up, things could have better results than people being stuck in the same program with no options and a never ending cycle of choices and learning for future generations to come.